A Love Story: Act Two

She knew the exact moment she fell in love. It was a Saturday in trendy Fells Point district in Baltimore. They were walking around window shopping just kind of hanging out. It was so simple no pressure nothing to fake. She was having a good time, a genuine nice time just being with him. For her birthday he got her music, she was touched because to him music was personal and special. The card said: "I...you know I do but I can't say it yet.: She did know deep in her heart that he loved her. Baltimore was magical for them; their lives all the reasons they probably should stay apart were miles away.

Later that day Dung called to invite her to dinner at his favorite Vietnamese restaurant, Co Chin. That night was totally different than any date she had ever been on before. The food was exquisite Asian and the atmosphere lovely. But best of all he talked to her. They talked a long time even while the waitstaff stacked chairs on tables as they closed the place. We walked around Baltimore in the cool February air. There was something about her; she was intense about her work, like him. He never would have expected it as Kenny's best friend he assumed she would be like him, nice enough but unmotivated and a little flaky. Only she wasn't just intense about work, she was intense about politics, family, everything. He was really different not just because he worked so hard at being different which he did, but he was definitely deeper than any of the other men she had known. There was a sensitivity, an artist perception of the world. For her there was nothing sexier than an artist. He took her hand and it felt right. She remembers thinking what an unlikely match. We are nearly polar opposites, but there was something about him that was so familiar. They were together a lot after that night, mostly in secret. He had this phrase that she just loved. "The Dung Mystique", it was the perception people had of him as a mysterious deeply private person. She loved that phrase because with her he was never that way. That made her special.

But reality crashed into their paradise on a late night phone call from Georgia. Kathy's father had a major stroke. Would she stay or go? What would happen when Dung had to move to Dallas next year? All those questions hung around like clouds, but he only cared about how she was. Could she handle it? Did she need something? Kathy would finish out her contract and head back to Georgia for the summer. Dung would stay in Baltimore until August. So at the of the regular theater season Kathy packed up, got in her car and left for Georgia with a promise to be with him in Dallas.

It was a promise she would not keep. The first and only promise she broke to him. It almost broke him. When he showed up in Georgia with the U-Haul truck to take her to Dallas Kathy had not thought about the guilt she would feel leaving her family at a time like this. Baltimore had seemed like a lifetime ago. What was she doing, leaving her family in their time of need for a man she had known less than a year. But still she left. And once on the road, every minute every hour she regretted her decision, but could she ever tell him. Unfortunately she did. Looking back she probably needed time to readjust to everything.
She told him she couldn't stay and she was leaving to go back to Georgia as they arrived in Dallas. She heard him begging, she saw the confusion and pain in his eyes. She did not realize until she was in Louisiana on her way home that she had hurt him more than anyone ever had.

Well alone they remained. He came to Georgia to visit her before Thanksgiving, that rare year when it snowed on Thanksgiving in Dallas, Texas. Another blow was dealt, she did not want to see him anymore. She did not even know why she told him that. She felt it was unfair to him, he should feel free to go on with his life in Dallas. Kathy's mother drove him to the bus station. She could not believe what her daughter was doing and told him :"if it was meant to be, it would be". On Christmas Day Kathy finally reached Dung after trying all day. He had been at work or keeping himself busy. As she got off the phone her mother found her crying.

"You still love him?"
"Yes, but all I've done, he will never forgive me." Kathy cried.
"Only one way to find out", her mother said.

Kathy and Dung talked for a long time Christmas night. She could tell from his voice he did not trust her. She could not blame him but she would work to earn back his trust. It was agreed that she would come to Dallas for Valentine's Day.

(To be continued- Act Three)

Year of the 'Boys & Chargers

* Final Score for the last two games 58-14, Dallas Cowboys over Philadelphia Eagles.
I can feel it finally, this is the year of the Cowboys and the Chargers. Super Bowl in Miami. The Who is playing at halftime. Now this is a game that I'd watch unlike the previous years.

* Michael Vick and Philly, it's called Karma: you reap what you sow.

*Day number 10:
5 miles, 58 minutes, 28 degrees

Sun Heat Factor

-A Love Story (part 2) coming soon.

- 31 degrees right now, feels like 51. It's the sun heat factor™.

-Gotta make it 9 straight day of running. Already worked out at LA Fitness this morning with Kathy. That place was packed, of course, it's those New Year's resolutions people that I probably won't ever see again in a couple of weeks.

* 2.4 miles in 25 minutes. It was 31 degrees out, sunny and dry today.

A Love Story: Act One

There are love stories and there are love stories. Most people think to be true love it has to come about as a result of some long suffering illness or life-altering obstacle that makes you reevaluate who you are or what you think. But for most people love stories start like weeks start, on a Monday.

When Dung and Kathy met it was a Monday in December. EDO, Equity Day Off. She had just moved to Baltimore from Georgia to work as a stage manager intern at Center Stage Theatre. Dung was the assistant audio engineer. They might have barely even crossed paths, except that Dung was Kathy's best friend's supervisor. Kenny and Kathy had gone to college together. Dung came to Kenny's apartment the Monday after Kathy arrived in Baltimore. They were co-designing sound for a show and Dung needed Kenny's cues. Simple enough he thought. But waiting on the couch, feet slung over the side was Kathy. There were introductions, brief. And then he probably will always remember her for what happened next. "I saw the show last night. There were a lot of problems. The trap did not work and instead of waiting until intermission they were in plain view working on it. And the sound... is it supposed to sound so scratchy?", she asked. Dung was quiet, a loner and now really uncomfortable. Basically he took the tapes from Kenny and left. Mumbling something like nice to meet you.

Yet at home he saw her face and unfortunately heard her words. He wrote in his journal, "Met Kenny's friend Kathy tonight, she is cute, but bossy." Not a very auspicious beginning to a love story. Well it is still the way it happened. Love sometimes is not played out to a romantic soundtrack. People are who they are. He was shy, she was admittedly loud and bossy. But something drew them together. Maybe the curiosity of someone so different from themselves or more likely what neither of them knew at the time but the similarities just below the surface.

It was months before they would have that first date. Kenny insisting Dung was interested; Kathy convinced Kenny had finally lost his mind. Still there was the way he always showed up wherever she would be, even if all he said was Hi and took off. There was the phone call after she had subbed at a rehearsal he was working. But he still did not ask her out. He told her how nice it was to see her, he talked about the show, but not one word about "them". Then it was Valentine's Day. Part of a grueling 5 show weekend, romance about the furthest thing from Kathy's mind.

She set up for the run of the show. Readying the trap where the actress (Cheri Jones, sweet woman, now playing the president on TV's 24) would enter in Act 2 she noticed nothing out of the ordinary. Then after intermission, into the trap she and the actress went, on the table a little bouquet of carnations, and a giant Hershey kiss. Skeptically she looked for the name on the card-certainly for someone else. But there on the white envelope, Kathy. She opened the card "I would swim a smile for you. D.N."
This must have been his big move?  Well it worked!
That night from Kenny's apartment she called Dung to thank him. He asked her to go see a French film playing at the Charles theatre. Finally more than 3 months after their first meeting they would have their first official date.

(To be continued)

Tidy Friday

- Snow day, no school today. Report? Yeah, report THIS, buddy!

- It's 15 degrees outside right now, with a wind chill of 2. There are ice on the road but not much on the sidewalks. It's like I brought Vermont weather down to the South this week.

- Today's plan:
Chill, run a few miles, read a few pages, draw the dang Book o' the Month, take a shower, brush teeth, back to mo' chilling, pick up the wife at work around 4 o'clock.

- Great day for walking: to Rev Coffee, to the park, the library to check out books. Watch out for the sliding cars though.

- TIE-DYED RAINBOW: because Nude is just too obscene for FaceBook

-Ran only a couple of miles today on Spring Rd by the Village Parkway area. Real slow and real easy, some parts of the sidewalk was still icy and slippery. Traffic was remarkably light for a Friday afternoon, rush hour.

One Step Behind

* New slogan for Cobb County: We're One Step Behind, so you don't have to mind.

* I'm watching one of the worst football games ever, high school, college or Pro level. I already felt asleep 3 times. These are the 2 top teams in the country? BORING !!! Back to bed.

* Boise State #1

* Seven straight day with a run. Today was a cool 4 mile in 33 snowy degrees weather. I think I overdressed today with two layers of shirt and short plus another track jacket. The ski hat made my head too hot after 3 miles. The snowflakes felt great on my face around the fourth and last mile as I was heading back to the parking lot at the EastWest Connector.

More Snow More Snow More Snow

Ran 2.5 miles today. Legs felt great afterwards, face was a little cold at the beginning. Saw only 2 or 3 other people out at the Silver Comet Trail today even though it was not that cold: 35 degrees and sunny at 4:30 PM. I've accumulated a total of 52 miles since I got the 405 Garmin GPS watch as a gift from Kathy last month.

Am looking forward to more snow coming to Georgia tomorrow night and possibly closing school on Friday, which would make it a 3-day weekend. You're welcome people, for I have brought the cold and snow back with me from Vermont. NPR said this morning that Burlington, where we were last week, had a record of 33 inches of snow the last 3 days of the New Year.

But what I am really looking forward to is running in the snow on Friday and Saturday in the city of Smyrna, Georgia.

I ♥ Cold Weather

31 Degrees is my new favorite temperature, for running outdoors. Today after the workout and run at Bally Fitness, I went to Target still wearing my shorts and T-Shirt. People were looking at me kinda funny and perplexed: Who is this moron? What an idiot! Bozo!
I wasn't cold, seriously, I actually felt comfortable. Extremely pleasant as a matter of fact. I could finally breathe some fresh air. All day at school, I felt dry and hot cooped up inside the classroom and the heat running continuously. I was also dehydrated as was everyone in the building.

So this is the fifth straight day that I've ran. Today was about 2 miles indoors, but who's counting. I felt great as long as I put in an effort and achieved my goal, that is all that mattered. My goal is to cross the starting line and cross the finish line. I try not to overdo and overthink it. Most of all I enjoy the runner's high while I can.

Monday Monday

I'll be 45 in a couple of months. There are several things about aging that's annoying: dry eyes and the urge to go to bathroom frequently. Other than that I guess I'm enjoying my midlife crisis. Or more like a Renaissance.

**** Copied from Disgrasian.com DICTIONARY:
AMAZIAN – Amazin’ Asian.

ANTI-ASIAN –n. An Asian who’s aging well. adj. Delaying or lessening the effects of aging by about 10 years, especially on the skin: an anti-asian cream.

HARDASS ASIAN PARENTS (HAP)- Our mothers and fathers, whom we, despite our achievements and senses of familial duty, are usually disappointing. ***

While talking to my mom last night, she just casually mentioned that during my long summer break (10 weeks), maybe I should consider taking some classes to prepare for a layoff of my current job. She lives in California so she sees a lot of teachers being laid off and reduction of their budgets all over the place. Bless her heart, she worries about many things that she has no control over. The weather, the traffic, other people's business. I don't know what it is about Asian parents and their inability to trust their own offsprings. Insecurity and confusion? Lack of sense of individuality? Conformity?

Today is the fourth straight day that I ran. 4 miles in 30 degrees weather. It was an easy pace of around 10 minute mile. By the third mile I was sweating up a storm and feeling groovy. Then I arrived back at the parking lot at the East West Connector and it was getting dark so I had to stop for the day and stretched for few minutes. I knew it was a good run when at the end I felt like I could do another 4 miles. I actually wanted to run more. Knowing when to stop is one of the important things in life, right?

P.S. Ok, a running-themed joke of the day I found on Running is Funny blog:

“I was watching the London Marathon and saw one runner dressed as a chicken and another runner dressed as an egg. I thought: ‘This could be interesting'."

So What? Now what?

*Welcome to 2010, this is the year of the Tiger in Chinese astrology. No, really, I'm serious.

*From now on, to answer every questions asked by a Christian right wing Republican Conservative, I am going say: "SO WHAT!"

* TSA/ Homeland Security (or insecurity)
All this paranoia about extra steps and increased searches mean that "the terrorists have already won" if we let our thinking change our way of life. Fear is exactly what it is, a state of mind. Security should be no more or no less than previous times.

"Someone who is willing to sacrifice liberty for security deserves neither" -Benjamin Franklin.

Thoughts on Vermont vacation

We spent 5 days last week in Vermont. Burlington is still one of my favorite cities on the East Coast, I haven't been back since 1995-when I was a sound engineer for the Georgia Pacific Tree Wishes tour. Also remembered the Montreal trip, another fine city in the great country of Canada.

"I realized Cold is just a state of mind" slogan from Green Mountain Coffee is right. It was cold here the entire time but I didn't mind, I really LOVE cold, snowy weather. On Tuesday, the high was 9 degrees and the low was 1 with a -18 wind chill, yeah that's right Minus Eighteen. The driving was treacherous, icy and snowy roads, but I didn't see one accident, everyone drove patiently and slowly with the conditions.

Vermonters and New Englanders are hard-working, low-key, quiet, respectful and genuine people. They mostly keep to themselves. Maybe that's why I have always felt comfortable around here, even when I first set foot in New England (Portland, Maine) almost 19 years ago (Portland Stage Company in 1991). That was when I also discovered Dunkin' Donuts coffee doing late late night radio shows at WMPG-Gorham, Portland. People are definitely more healthy and intelligent around these parts.

Some other observations of Burlington: more people here wearing eye glasses, every other car is a Subaru Outback or Forester, lots of healthy/ New Age stores and restaurants, Dunkin' Donuts are everywhere even in the Shaw's Supermarket instead of Starbucks and there isn't a Walmart in the city limits, great coffee, the food here was awesome-we ate at Uno Chicago Grill, Three Tomatoes which was the best Italian place ever and the Burlington Bagel Place, voted the best bakery in the city. We love the Church St. Marketplace, the Echo Science Center, Lake Champlain, Vermont Teddy Bear factory, but the Bolton Valley Ski resort was OK, too crowded and chaotic. I snowboarded for about 6 hours, man, I'm getting too old for this.

I'd like to offer a FREE tip (no extra charge) to anyone reading: Do not fly United Airlines no matter how tempting or cheap an offer you get, it is NOT worth it. They are quite possibly the worst airline in America. They employ the rudest, most incompetent and lousiest workers (if you can call it work). We learned a lesson the hard way and will avoid having anything to do with United Airlines ever again. Due to their crew delay and incompetence, we missed our connecting flight had to stay overnight in Washington DC on New Year's Eve and I missed the Resolution Run 5K in Kennesaw on New Year's Day. They lost Kathy's luggage in Atlanta, but we finally got it delivered to the house today. Check out this website: http://untied.com

My Resolutions / Goals for 2010

-Win the Nobel Peace Prize. Why not?
-Travel to all 7 continents (only Australia, South America and Antarctica left)
-Dethrone Tiger Woods as the new Masters Champ. OK, learn golf first. NOT!
-Live more dangerously. Learn to surf, scuba diving, ski and Salsa dancing.
-Eat healthy, drink water every 2 hours.
-Run every day- 364 more days to go.
-Less talk More fun
-Work the core. Lose that gut. No slouching.
-Get the balance right. Play Work Rest, in that order.
-Refuse to grow up
-Read and write more
-Watch what I say: Be clear, be brief, and be kind.
-Will not yell at 7 year olds. And 8,9,10,11 and 6.
-Wear my eyeglasses. Comply, obey.
-Listen and pay attention to the wife.
-Make art not war
-Record a country/R&B/Reggae/comedy/zydeco CD

Running Mantra

JUST KEEP BREATHING.....
JUST KEEP GOING....
JUST ...KEEP... SWIMMING

3 miles today. Thirty minutes. Easy, Cheesy, Peesy.

Out to play

Gone outside to play with this toy:
>

--------The green one on the right is the one I have: Garmin Forerunner 405 ^

Note to self:
The Chattahoochee Nature Trail parking lot is a cruising spot on Xmas Eve. Not going back there. The trail was nice though.
Gotta wear gloves when it's in the 40s with 20 mph wind gusts. And cover the ears.
Today was an Easy run of 2.5 miles in 24 minutes= 9:30 pace. EZ does it every time.

X Mas already

Most outrageous comments of 2009

Most outrageous comments of 2009

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Boys and Girls, the San Diego Chargers....

Any Questions?

How 'bout them 'Boys

Dallas Cowboys baby!!! 24-17. There goes the perfect season for the Saints.

It wasn't even that close. New Orleans Saints didn't really have a chance. They were down by 3 touchdowns at one point. They were dominated and outplayed the whole game. Tony Romo was phenomenal. Drew Brees was inconsistent and lost his cool a couple of times, which was uncharacteristic of him. The 'Boys defense definitely picked it up a notch during the last drive but truly they played great the entire game. Finally the offense looked like themselves with a balance mix of passing and rushes. They had a game plan and stuck to it brilliantly. My SD Chargers also won this week. That makes it 17-0 for December.

* Cigarettes smokes STINK! While I was out running 5 miles today at the Silver comet trail, there was a middle-age woman walking and I noticed as I was approaching her that she was holding a cigarette in her hand. She had it straight down by her side with the butt sticking out horizontally. C'mon woman, if you love smoking so much, inhale it all in, keep in all the good poison and crap into your lungs, don't waste it. The disgusting smell was lingering in the air as I was running past her, can't remember the last time I had to smell these Cancer on a Stick, must have been 3 years ago. I managed to finish the 5.1 miles in 45 minutes, for a pace of 8:56 according the Garmin GPS watch. Felt great today, I could have run another 5. 43 degrees is my new favorite running weather. Used to be 52 degrees. Should have worn gloves though.

* Checking out Rey Fresco (King Fresh in Spanish) new album titled: "The People". I downloaded my first whole music album onto my iPhone. 13 songs for 9.99. I love all these apps for the iPhone. iPhone Rocks!!!

What Would Ted Kennedy Do

I miss Ted Kennedy and his wisdom, courage, passion, leadership right about now. These new Democrats are just as SPINELESS and useless as the last ones. The only two I could count on are Howard Dean and Dennis Kucinich.

* What's next? Sarah Palin wins the Nobel Prize for Literature?

* Tiger Woods is running for Governor of South Carolina. Dirtbag. Bozo of the decade.

* Traitor Trader Joe. Schmuck.


* Changing my name to CHRIS MasHanukkahKwanzaaSolstice HOLIDAY

* Snowstorms dumping about 20 inches of snow to the NorthEast. Yeah, bring it on!!! Where we're going, we don't need roads. We're heading to Burlington Vermont and then to Stowe Mountain for some snowboarding and skiing next weekend.

* There are no Walmart in the city limits of Burlington, Vermont and Santa Cruz, California. These are still 2 of my favorite cities in North America. The others are Portland, Oregon, Madison, Wisconsin, Asheville, North Carolina and Portland, Maine.

Neil Diamond's cover of The Chanukah Song

Thoughtful Thursday

* Some questions are really statements in disguise. Am I right?

* It's against my religion to work on the weekend, specifically Saturday. And what does Santa have to do with XMas anyway?

* Nobody but YOU care what kind of post-baccalaureate or graduate degree you have.

* 43 degree out today-Excellent running weather for a couple of miles. Yesterday was 66 degrees. Too warm.

* Lots of Foolishness going on in 5th grade these days. Gotta keep my cool.

* Venture Schmenture- Happy Hanukkah!

* War does not equal Peace. Please turn in your Nobel Peace Prize to someone who really deserves it. I'm sorry to say that we have been fooled again.

"Meet the new boss, same as the old boss" from the classic album Who's Next.

Women

Why are they such a complicated creature?
I think what she meant was: "Lighten up and Don't Overreact".
One of the meanings of life is to find that balance between seriousness and humor in every situation. Some people just take themselves wayyyyyy too seriously and have a tendency to over-analyze. Keep it simple, keep it clear and keep it short. Stop when it's time to do so.

Bruce Lee quote of the day:
Don't get set into one form, adapt it and build your own, and let it grow, be like water.

Tiger: You're a DOG, dog!

I've never been a fan of Tiger Woods. Never played golf, never will. Never liked watching golf on TV. Do not understand the appeal of this rich Yuppie white male "sport". Who cares?

I'm thinking about writing my memoir. Here are some tentative titles:
"Confessions of a BS artist: Less Talk, More Action"

or "An Asian-American Rebel"

or "Mellow Yellow Fellow, I ain't from 'round here"

Too much readin' and learnin' is giving me a headache.
I'm too old for this shinola.
More details coming soon.

Friday

Happy Dappy Friday!!!

Run like the wind

Holiday Party

* On a darker note:

War. Kills. People. Forever.
If you say you support the troops, then bring them home. Don't send them to their deaths or to cause the deaths of other humans. Stop this pissing contest you macho men and you enabling women.
C'mon, Nobel Peace Prize winner, you can do better than that.
Who are you kissing up to?

* Tiger and Jon Gosselin AKA Dogs: Dudes! You give us Asian men a bad name.
Self-control is one of the first things you learn in Kindergarten.
What were you thinking? Have some self-respect and respect for your spouses.
I've been with the same white woman for 17 years. She's still the only one.
One woman is more than enough for me to handle.

This Song's on my mind this week...

a cover of the Violent Femmes' "No Killing"

Run run run

New running mantra:

Keep Breathing...Keep Going...JUST KEEP SWIMMING..

Happy Thanxgivin'

* Ran and finished a 10K race (Gobble Jog) in Marietta this morning. My goal was 55 minute and I would have reached that if I didn't have a pit stop at mile 3. Guess I should have hold it in. Also lost about a minute and a half at the start weaving around to avoid walkers, strollers, dogs, and slowpokes in general. Next time I'm lining up closer to the front and will not get stuck in the middle of the road. Pick one side or the other. There were a ton of people, 6400 was the number of runners according to today's paper. Nice and cool 43 degrees at 8 AM. It was really perfect weather for a morning run.
My unofficial time was 57:05 or a pace of 9:15. Again.
All right, official time is 56:52 or a pace of 9:10.

Happy Holidays

CFI Announces Blasphemy Contest Winners

Grand Prize winner is: "Faith is No reason." by Ken Peters of California

In addition to the Grand Prize winner, there were four other winners. Their entries were:

“There’s no religion like no religion,” submitted by Daniel Boles of Thailand
“I wouldn’t even follow your god on Twitter,” submitted by Michael Hein of South Carolina
“The reason religious beliefs need protection from ridicule is that they are ridiculous,” submitted by Michael Nugent of Ireland
“I survived the God virus,” submitted by Perry Bulwer of British Columbia, Canada.

Also Happy Thanksgiving the American Way:

Going Rouge

Shouldn't you read a book or magazine first before you write a book?

Oh, Sarah, please please please run again in 2012.
Country first, children and family can come later right?

Adios

Muchacho, Senor Lou Dobbs. Vaya con dios. Hasta Luego.
Good bye and good luck at the Cartoon Network.

"Life's a lot like Poker, you can't win if you don't play."
Loudon Wainwright III as heard on 1690 AM Voice of the Arts radio station tonight on the way back from a quick run of a couple of miles. Saw a magnificent sunset around 5:45 as I was heading into the Silver Comet trail at the East West connector. It was one of those rare fleeting moment that we often take for granted in nature. The pastel pink, lavender, indigo, yellow, red and orange colors lasted only about 5 minutes and then, all of a sudden, the sky turned gray and black. Man it got dark real quick around here this time of the year. The temperature was hovering around 58 degrees with a slight drizzle and when I stopped I couldn't tell if it was sweat or rain on my hair. Another one of life's little mysteries.

My next pair of running shoes

Brooks Launch
Flash Gordonish...

Immigrants are people too.

Illegal or Not.

* No budget, No time, No space, and everything is due yesterday. Ahhhh, the glamorous life of a public school teacher.

* One, two, 1, 2, You know what to do!

Halloween

This was the scene of our neighborhood. Nobody came for Trick or Treat this year.
Guess there'll be plenty of candy for us next month.

How to MoonWalk

This is the best ever version of How to Moon Walk:

The Choice is yours

* I'm unprofessional according to the authority. But at least I am not rude or incompetent.

* Life's a game. I get to make up the rules as I go along. Guess who always win at the end of the day?

* Words of wisdom: Nobody gives a bleep about yo' pretentious words of wisdom.

Peace out brothers and sisters!

Nobel Peace o' Crapola Prize

* Yeah, Yo, congrats Barack on the prize, but the REAL Man of Peace is Dennis Kucinich.

* Everything is better with condensed milk.

* Have Fun. Or Else.

* Don't Ask. Don't Tell. Don't Think.

The first Socialist

Jesus AKA J.C. was the first socialist.
How else would he be able to equally divide 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish to feed 5000 people?
Oh, heck I don't know what I'm talking about here, I ain't even Christian.
Oh I believe in God, only I spell it N-A-T-U-R-E.

Favorite Quote

Here's my new favorite quote:

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius-and a lot of courage-to move in the opposite direction." E.F. Schumacher